Charged: An Otherwordly Reverse Harem (The Otherworlds Series Book 1)

by Gillian Zane

  “It’s one of the things that it does, along with accessing the network on our planet, and it’s a communicator, also a GPS. For your translator, you might find that some words won’t have a translation, so you’ll hear the original word,” he said.

  “Ooh, does that word translate?” she asked.

  “What word?” Roc asked.

  “The pri-ah word.”

  “Ah, pr’ialla, I don’t believe so,” he chuckled and she frowned.

  “Tell me what it means!”

  “One day.” Roc looked over at her and winked.

  There was a change in altitude and the craft descended, Bobbie gasped at the sight of the ground before her. A city lay before them. It was like every fantasy painting come to life. Spires of tall buildings made of the same material the ship was made of reached like arms outstretched into the sky in haphazard towers, some going straight up into the air, other’s folding onto themselves in great arches. The sky was an orange-pink color that you only saw during sunsets on Earth, but the two suns were still high in the sky. Great trees that probably stood hundreds of feet reached for the sun as well, situated between the glass-like buildings, as if decorations.

  “What are the buildings made of? Is it a metal? Or is it like the ship?” Bobbie asked.

  “It’s silica, like the ship, not a metal. We map the DNA and grow it to our specifications,” Roc said like this was something everyone does and knows about.

  “You grow buildings?”

  “Yes, DNA coding is intricate work, takes decades to perfect, and a new building can take a hundred years to grow to perfection, but everything you see is a constantly changing specimen.”

  “And the buildings exist on photons as well, is that how you grow them?”

  “Correct.” He smiled at her with pride. “Sometimes the builders will need an influx of a certain protein, and so they’ll have to cover the buildings and then douse it in a supplement, but that is few and far between.” He disengaged his restraints and took Bobbie’s hand. “See that building on the horizon?” He pointed and she searched the landscape for what he was indicating. When she saw it, she gaped at the magnitude and size. The building, if you could call it that, was a gleaming structure at the base of a dark black mountain. The colors of the building were iridescent, ranging from purples, to blues, and greens. There were great windows that looked to be thirty feet high that ran along the side of the structure. Towers soared into the air around it. There were crafts hovering around the outside with great wings, and the flap of them sent up sprays of the dark purple mud of the mountain.

  “What is that?”

  “The Emperor’s palace; that is our home.” He smiled at her, and Bobbie could tell that he was pleased she was in awe. As they neared the building, lights appeared in the sky near the side of the mountain and Roc pointed the craft in that direction, setting it down with an efficient landing that was barely felt. Bobbie could see they were on an outcropping that jutted out from the side of a cliff and looked down into a large courtyard full of flowering plants and monstrous trees.

  Things began buzzing around the ship, small flying crafts sprayed a white mist around the craft. Roc ran his hand along the dashboard and alarms began to blare with flashing blue lights buzzing in every corner.

  “Time to disembark.” Roc stood and keyed in something on the wall. More beeping sounded and a line of lights appeared in the hull. A rounded rectangle formed and then slid to the left with a hiss. Stairs unfolded and extended from the floor, landing with a metallic clank on the red ground of the plateau.

  Bobbie thought the red plateau was a synthetic material, but once she descended the stairs and got closer, she realized it was grass. The coloring was a deep red.

  She bent down and pulled up a blade, noticing the feel was thicker than grass, with a fuzzy feel almost like it was a succulent from back home, but it didn’t break from pressure as she stepped on it, like a succulent would, it folded under her feet.

  “Is this grass?” she asked Roc, and both nodded in response.

  “This is insane.”

  A small man in a white pantsuit hurried over to them. His jacket wrapped around his body like a wrap-around dress, and there were bright gold buttons and strange looking epaulets on both shoulders. He had emblems that resembled medals on his sleeves, and the way he held himself screamed military and importance, even though he was no bigger in size and height than Bobbie.

  “Your Highness,” the man greeted and bowed low, his right hand at his back, his left hand in front of him in an almost dance-like move.

  “General,” Roc said. The man looked up and then glanced at Roc’s second self with a confused glance.

  “How did you beat me here?” He directed his question at Two and Bobbie realized he wasn’t wearing a flight suit like her and Roc. He was wearing a pantsuit that was similar to what the General wore. His tight frame wore loose fitting pants, and a comfortable shirt, with his jacket only half buttoned up the front.

  “General,” Two said. “Of course, I knew I would land here. Well before I issued orders to control.” Roc gave him the look that he was so good at dishing out, the look that said why are you questioning me.

  “Of course, of course. I hope your journey was fruitful.” He looked at Bobbie and his eyes widened, taking her in from head to foot.

  “It was. General, this is Bobbie Flemming, I’ve claimed her as my Charge Mate. Please give her your utmost respect, as she will one day be your Empress.”

  “Wait, what?” Bobbie squeaked.

  “Mistress Baa-beee,” the General stumbled over the foreign name.

  “General, sir,” Bobbie said. She gave Roc the side-eye, hoping it conveyed her annoyance. How could he have not told her about the Empress thing?

  “We will be retiring to my wing. Please inform my retinue that I will not be disturbed unless an emergency.”

  “Yes, my Prince. I will convey the information. Jives will be stationed in the lobby waiting in case you need anything.”

  “Perfect, where is my transport?” Roc looked around and then spotted a sleek looking iridescent teardrop parked to the side of the plateau. He grabbed Bobbie’s hand and headed in the direction of the vehicle, not stopping to answer the few questions the General tried to get in before he disappeared.

  Roc placed his hand on the side of the teardrop and a door opened along the side. He got in first and then held a hand out for Bobbie to follow. She ducked her head and slid into the vehicle, gaping at the plush seats and the lights that flashed along what she assumed was the control panel. Two followed behind her and got behind the control panel, pressing a few buttons to start it up.

  Bobbie sat, looking around the impressive transport. She was on edge until Roc pulled her against him and she settled into his arm in the comfortable seat.

  “We’ll be there in a few of your Earth minutes,” he whispered against her hair. “We’ll rest up tonight and then tomorrow we’ll start getting you acclimated to your new home.”

  “You mean as the future Empress,” she said caustically.

  “My father is a healthy man by Polaridi standards, even though he is three centuries. It will be a long time before you’ll ever see that title; you’ll have plenty of time to acclimate to your role.”

  “How old are you, by the way?” She turned to him.

  “Barely a century,” he said running a hand through her hair, which had fallen in her face.

  “You’re an old man.” She sat back taking him in. He looked barely thirty.

  “I’m barely an adult on my planet,” he said with a smile. “I only came of age at forty so that makes me barely old enough to vote.”

  “I don’t think your math is lining up, and holy shit, if you age out at forty, does that make me a teenager or something?” Bobbie asked, not upset by the fact that she was considered so young.

  “Yes, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to tell them you are fifty-five years of age, because technically on Polaridis ou
r years are longer, the revolutions greater around the sun, so you would technically be around twenty of our years if they looked closer. Not able to mate, but since your years are harder and shorter on Earth, you are nothing like the twenty-year-olds on our planet.”

  “I don’t know whether I should be insulted or happy about that particular tidbit. So, are you being a pervert by having sex with me?”

  “It is all a matter of perspective,” he said with a chuckle. “We’re here.” He couldn’t get out of the transport quick enough, both of him. When Bobbie followed she realized they had landed on what looked to be a large balcony.

  “This is my private wing. No one will disturb us here.” Roc held out his hand and Bobbie took it, his other self flanking her to the left as they walked across the slick balcony floor.

  He led her through tall glass doors that were at least thirty feet high but slid open without a sound. The glass sparkled like diamonds but you could see through it clearly. The glass doors led to a vast reception area with a table at the center that held an exotic and overpowering bouquet of flowers in all shades of the rainbow and even a few colors Bobbie couldn’t identify. She shook her head and looked at it again. There was no putting words to it because she had never seen something in that spectrum before. It had to be because of the second sun. There were more types of light, so there had to be new colors of light. Was that possible? She thought.

  She stopped when she saw two more beautiful men standing to the side of the room, resplendent in tight pants and airy shirts that had triangle shaped necklines. Their hair was styled the same, the same dark black as Roc’s, but varied in length from her two Rocs. Theirs was longer and Bobbie noticed a few lighter highlights in them that her Rocs did not have.

  The two Rocs inclined their heads and took in their counterparts with an odd expression.

  “Interesting,” one of them said.

  “Quite,” the Roc beside her said.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Bobbie asked looking at him.

  “There has been an interesting development that was not expected,” Roc said as he took Bobbie’s hand. “Supper is laid out, let’s dine and rest up.”

  “C’mon, what aren’t you tell me, Roc?” she asked.

  “We will discuss it together in a moment, but right now, Bobbie, I would like to only tell you one thing.”

  “What’s that?” she said, trying to peer around him to see the others.

  “Welcome home.”

  20

  Four Asshats are not better than One

  Bobbie followed Roc into a large room where supper had been laid out. She was surprised at how similar it was to how things were set up on Earth. She gaped at the similarities between Roc’s dining room and what she would find on her own world.

  “This is so—” She ran a finger over the wood-like table and looked at Roc, not able to convey what she was thinking.

  “When we began to serve actual dinners, we asked an engineer to work up suitable eating areas. He had traveled to your Earth before, on a quest to expand his knowledge base. So, your culture inspired these designs. Along with the restaurants that have popped up because of our new pastime.”

  She was on an alien planet and she was surrounded by people who looked and acted very human. She stood in a room for dining that was complete with a table and chairs that only looked like very modern versions of what you would find on Earth. Lighting hung from the ceiling and cascaded in an artistic looking chandelier, intricate artwork hung on the walls. The artwork was like nothing she had seen before, showcasing colors she couldn’t even name, but it was artwork on a canvas-like material, hung on a wall and displayed for pleasure. She felt comfortable. She felt at home.

  A being about half Bobbie’s height held trays that steamed with aroma and laid them on the table.

  “Thank you,” she said when another one laid a napkin on her lap after she had taken a seat.

  “It’s a mechanical assistant,” Roc leaned toward her and whispered, even though there was no need for the low voice. “It has no concept of manners.”

  “But I do; a girl needs manners.” Laughter came from the Rocs across from her and a frown spread on Roc’s face. There was something going on and Bobbie couldn’t figure out what it was.

  Two stayed quiet, filling his plate with an array of food. Bobbie could place none of them.

  “So, all of you have to eat?” Bobbie asked.

  “Four stomachs,” Two said.

  “I guess it makes sense, but that would mean that one of you could get hungry while the others are not, and how do you distinguish who is hungry and who is not? Is it the same when one of my parts hurts, like if I stub my toe? Can you distinguish between who is hurt?” Her questions rushed out while she was perusing the food, looking for something suitable to eat. She kept sticking her fork into different dishes, testing consistencies. Everything looked like potatoes.

  “To bring it back to your toe. Can you tell when you stub a toe which one is hurt?” Roc asked her.

  “Sometimes,” Bobbie finally decided on something that looked like pasta and put it on her plate. She took a tentative bite and spit it out, it tasted like coffee, which wasn’t anything she had expected.

  “Try this, it tastes like your world’s lamb.” He placed an orangish meat on her plate and she took a bite, the taste was savory and full of flavor.

  “When did you start noticing a difference?” Roc asked, and Bobbie looked up confused. Since she was technically here alone with Roc, then if he was talking, it would be to her. He had no reason to talk to himself. But one of the new Rocs, the one who sat across from her, answered his question.

  “On your return home. The time spent on Earth was normal, just with the slight lag because of the distance, but as soon as you returned home, in that time we began to feel different.” He shrugged his shoulders in a very human gesture, and a very un-Roc like look crossed his face.

  Bobbie gaped at the two men across from her. What was going on? She looked between them, red flags flying in her head. The pronouns were always jumbling up in her head, but now his use of them felt wrong. The Roc across from her was using the wrong terms. He kept saying we, as if he was autonomous from Roc and Two.

  “The complications were expected for the travel. There were times when we blanked for periods as the distance increased or decreased, but on the return home, after one blank during a fold, we woke and had no direction but our own.”

  Our own. Bobbie was new to this four parts of a whole thing, but this didn’t seem like it was following the script of what Roc had told her.

  “But, you still feel like part of the whole?”

  “Yes,” the Roc across the table nodded.

  “But able to act independently?” Bobbie was going to have to name this one Three and the other Four just so she could keep them straight in her head. She knew she was looking back and forth between the two of them stupidly.

  “We felt full cohesion when—,” Four looked at Bobbie and there was no mistaking what he was referring to. “And then we blanked and there was autonomy after.”

  “There have been no complications because of this, though. A bit of autonomy shouldn’t hurt. It actually might have a benefit in the long run. We—" Three stumbled over the pronoun.

  “We can accomplish more if there are more minds on the subject,” Four finished.

  “This doesn’t seem right. I’ve never heard of this happening before.” Roc looked at his counterparts, now more twins than parts if Bobbie was digesting the situation properly.

  “Wait, are you saying you’re more like clones now, from what? What caused this? The lightspeed travel?”

  “Maybe,” Three shrugged again in that very Earth-like gesture.

  “But doesn’t light-speed travel happen all the time between your people. Isn’t this how your world achieves faster than lightspeed travel? By one of their splits remaining planet side?” Bobbie spoke up. The two men across from her looked at her with
cocked heads, like she had said something bizarre.

  “There has never been a case of an original splitting four times, without one of the parts being killed,” Roc said quickly. “There was one case where the emperor had three parts, and one was crushed while he was touring one of the mines. He split again a decade after his third had been put down,” Three said.

  “Why did you split this many times, then?” She turned to Roc since he was the original Roc.

  “It’s a biological imperative, hard to describe, but you feel like there is too much of you and you have to split, or you burn up,” Roc said.

  “You have so much energy built up, it has to coalesce into something else, so you split,” Four added.

  “And there hasn’t been anyone who split four times?” Bobbie clarified.

  “No one that we can find in the records,” Four said. “We doubled our research efforts while here alone. Nothing in the original archives”

  “So, you’re in uncharted waters,” Bobbie mused.

  “It would seem. There have been old stories, stories that have been cited about the origin, but nothing definite,” Three said.

  “Nothing can be proven about the origins. It’s all myths and superstitions, orally passed down and only recorded centuries later,” Roc said, but he looked thoughtful.

  “Can you tell me about the origins?” Bobbie asked.

  “They are old stories,” Three spoke for the Rocs. “Passed down by word of mouth, before we learned to channel our sparks and implement the silica so we could write down our words. We think a lot of the stories were changed and manipulated over time, some of them lost for all times as families that passed down the legends died out. But, they all start the same, billions of rotations ago our universe was made of light. All different kinds of light and energy, that coalesced and became aware. Some light became too much to hold within the barriers that were around them so they became more, exploded outward and it was how the Universe was created.”

  “The Big Bang,” Bobbie said in awe.